The present invention relates to an apparatus and system for developing LSIs.
In recent years, a system semiconductor integrated circuit (LSI) that achieves the function of a system level on a single chip has been developed. When developing a system LSI, various types of data are transferred between a user who develops and designs the system LSI, and a maker who manufactures the system LSI based on the user's design data (e.g., ROM data of a microcomputer). To improve the developing efficiency, it is desired that the data be quickly transferred between the user and the maker.
The design data generated by the user (designer) includes ROM data (firmware), which is stored in a non-volatile memory, such as a mask ROM or a flash memory, that is connected to a system LSI, and circuit data, such as that of a programmable logic array (PLA). The design data is stored in a medium such as a flexible disk organ EPROM. The designer either sends the medium to the system LSI maker by mail or by e-mail. The LSI maker manufactures the system LSI based on the design data recorded on the received medium and sends the system LSI to the user.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the flow for processing a prior art LSI.
A developing apparatus 91 performs steps S101, S102, and S108. In step S101, the developing apparatus 91 performs the setting of the environment, such as setting tools (e.g., a compiler or a debugger) prior to the developing of a system LSI. In step S102, the developing apparatus 91 designs and develops an LSI in the set environment. In step S103, the design data of the LSI is sent to the LSI maker by mail or e-mail.
In step S104, a support center 92 of the LSI maker receives the design data. In step S105, the support center 92 generates data for manufacturing the LSI from the design data. In step S106, the LSI is manufactured in accordance with the manufacturing data in a manufacturing plant. The manufacturing plant sends a sample of the LSI to the user.
In step S107, the user conducts function tests on the LSI sample with a tester (not shown). If the results of the function tests indicate a problem (NG), the design data is corrected in step S108. If there are no problems with the results of the function tests (OK), the developing is completed.
To record the ROM data of the system LSI that is designed by the user on a medium, such as an EPROM, address conversion must be performed.
FIG. 2 shows an example of the address conversion.
It is assumed here that the memory of the system LSI that is being developed includes the address spaces of 00000000h to 00xxFFFFh. Among these address spaces, ROM data is stored in the areas of 00080000h to 0008FFFFh. When recording the ROM data in an EPROM, the memory addresses (00080000h to 0008FFFFh) of the ROM data must be converted to an EPROM addresses (00000000h to 0000FFFFh). This is because the address of the system LSI used by a CPU to read the ROM data differs from the address of the ROM data stored in the EPROM.
Such address conversion must be performed in accordance with the memory map and specification of the system LSI that is being developed and in accordance with a format used by the LSI maker to receive the ROM data. Thus, the conversion is burdensome and increases the possibility of errors occurring when converting addresses. It is also burdensome for the LSI maker to check the received data and perform address conversion on the received data. This makes it difficult to shorten the delivery of the system LSI.
Further, the transmission of the ROM data by e-mail may result in security problems, such as leakage or loss of the ROM data when the wrong data is attached to an e-mail and erroneously transmitted.
In the prior art developing environment, it is difficult for the LSI maker to acknowledge the specific details of the system LSI (i.e., the used resources and commands). Thus, it is difficult for the LSI maker to provide thorough customer support.